Taggers arrested in graffiti sting

Officers arrested two suspects during a graffiti sting operation in Menlo Park on Wednesday night, according to police.

Police were monitoring the previously vandalized Ringwood Avenue pedestrian bridge running from Pierce Road over U.S. Highway 101 and onto Van Buren Road at 10:57 p.m. when they spotted two male suspects spray-painting on the bridge.

When officers attempted to contact the suspects, one fled towards Van Buren Road, where two officers had taken posts at the base of the footbridge and apprehended him, police said.

The suspects have been identified as Hector Nieblasbastidas and Flavio Gomez, both 18-year-old East Palo Alto residents. A search of the two suspects found numerous spray paint cans and markers, along with illegal narcotics, according to police.

The investigation into the extent of their graffiti around San Mateo County is ongoing, police said.

Both suspects were booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of vandalism, possession of spray paint, conspiracy to commit a crime, resisting or obstructing a police officer and possession of a controlled substance. Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the Menlo Park Police Department at (650) 330-6300.